大象传媒

I was seven when the war started and many things stand out in my mind, such as standing in our back garden watching the battle of britain being played out in the skies above me
and the time my sister May and I were returning from church and met my friend Robbie (Francis)Robinson who walked home with us.Arriving home we heard the sound of planes. "Let's go and look"I said to the others. But my dad called us back saying "Don't go and look you don't know who's they are" One minute later Canterbury was having one of it's many air raids. The planes had come in low thus avoidin the radar and preventing the warning siren. We all sheltered under the stairs as the planes made two drops. All was quiet for some time,when Robbie suddenly said "Look out here they come again" but it turned out to be just a motor bike roaring down the street.
Well after the planes had gone, the sirens sounded a belated warning!
When the all clear sounded we all came out from under the stairs to find our heavy front door blown from it's hinges and lying at the end of our long hallway.
Outside we could not see more than a few feet in front of us for dust and smoke. the next street had taken direct hits and was almost wiped out. It was said that the german planes had machine gunned patients on the hospital balcony where my mother was at the time but she was alright.
There was a great meat shortage then, along with all the other shortages. I had a pet rabbit which I loved dearly.Our cat would climbe into the hutch with it and the pair would snuggle down together.
One day when I went in for dinner I was served with my beloved pet rabbit with no apology or explanation.
When the Americans arrived me and my chums would beg cigarette cards from them, one brand in particular carried cards depicting tanks and planes and were much desired.
Many children in the area made friends with Italian prisoners of war who were working on the farms around Canterbury we found them to be very amiable.
There were many barrage balloons hanging high above the houses. If any came down us kids would race to them and break bit's of for souvenirs, all exciting stuff! not to mention the spent bullets from the planes guns which we collected so eagerly.

One very vivid memory is of a particularly fierce raid which seemed to last for ever. We again took shelter under the stairs until the all clear sounded., then we all trooped of to the air raid shelter. This always makes me smile, though I also recall the sight of Canterburys top end being all lit up and burning. When the flames and dust had gone most of my beautiful city was razed to the ground.
Myself along with many other children then, did not feel any real fear, it was simply a way of life that we became used to.
When the war ended, there were street parties and celebrations on a grand scale
I recall a sense of camaraderie at the time and remeber the way everyone seemed to pull together.
Would people react in the same way today? I do not know. But then it would be a very different type of war.

THE END

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